The most senior contact inside West Ham has responded to claims the club intends to move to a new training ground complex.
West Ham’s training ground facilities have been a longstanding running joke among fans.
Hammers boss David Moyes has spoken in the past about wanting the club to use some of the money invested by Czech billionaire co-owner Daniel Kretinsky to improve the training ground.
And the manager even revealed the club had to shift training to the London Stadium before the Arsenal hiding as the pitches at Rush Green were not good enough.
We reported at the weekend that the club had removed the West Ham United lettering from the wall outside Rush Green altogether after being criticised for replacing a missing ‘M’ with an upside down ‘W’.
West Ham’s training ground is the butt of many a joke and gives opposition fans a good laugh. But there is a serious side to all this in the long term.
West Ham training facilities a running joke for too long
West Ham’s ownership has a combined net worth of over £10.5bn – the fourth highest in the top flight.
And the club was once again listed in the top 20 richest clubs in world football in the 2024 Deloitte Money League.
So at some point fans hope the club’s owners will give West Ham the modern, state-of-the-art training complex befitting a top class Premier League and European outfit.
There was huge excitement then when ExWHUemployee claimed the club is ‘in the process of looking to build a new training ground’.
Speaking on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex said the Hammers were looking at potential sites to improve the situation.
Exciting claim made about club eyeing new complex
“They are currently looking at potential sites, with one in Basildon understood to be in consideration, as the club require large acres of land to build the new facility,” he said.
“The current training ground at Rush Green is degrading and the club are now looking to improve on the situation, although it’s important to stress this is at the provisional stage.”
ExWHUemployee did state plans were at a provisional stage. And unfortunately it seems any Hammers plans may have fallen at the first hurdle.
Because West Ham have responded to the exciting training ground claim and lifted the lid on a £5m Rush Green plan.
West Ham deny move but pledge £5m to improve Rush Green
Any hopes West Ham will be moving to a new complex have been dashed.
But the claims were clearly well founded because the Hammers hierarchy does have training ground plans afoot.
“It’s not true that we are moving to a new training ground,” the senior West Ham contact told Hammers News.
“We are spending another £5m at our training ground this summer.
“We’re improving it all the time.”
What exactly the £5m will be spent on remains to be seen.
It’s far from the ideal scenario considering clubs such as Leicester, Brighton, Spurs and a host of others have spent £20-30m on state-of-the-art bases.
But it is at least being acknowledged improvements have to be made.
READ ALSO
Moyes makes claim that will infuriate Prem bosses but he’s spot on
Scamacca opens up on depression at struggles
Hammers star delivers Moyes verdict amid uncertainty over his future
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
